Dear Colleagues,

We are off to a successful and productive Fall 2021 semester! It is so exciting to be back on campus where we are able to finally see students, faculty and staff

return after an arduous period of time due to the pandemic. Everyone has been resilient! Kudos to all of our wonderful employees at Delaware State

University for working so tirelessly to make this fall a reality for everyone to return safely.

As we prepare to wrap up the semester, please stay safe over the holidays and enjoy the winter break. Thank you once again for everything you have done to make us remain one of the top HBCUs in the nation!

Sincerely,

Marquita Thomas BrownFounder & Editor in Chief

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER

Faculty and Staff,

I want to thank all of you for a successful start to the new academic year. The pandemic has caused historic challenges, and we are not finished with it yet, but Delaware State University has proven to be more than equal to the challenge.

We have accomplished several big things over the last few months to include but not limited to the acquisition of Wesley College, course delivery in a variety of modalities, and a record amount of extramural funding. I firmly believe that is because we have faculty and staff who truly care about our students and the mission of this University.

As we finish the fall semester and transition into spring, I want to encourage

you all to remain mission-focused. Enjoy the rest of the semester.

Dr. Saundra F. DeLauderProvost and Chief Academic Officer

FROM THE EDITOR

FALL 2021 | ISSUE 7

GREETINGS & MESSAGES OF THANKS

FROM THE PROVOST & CAO

WHAT’SINSIDE

NEW EMPLOYEESAND RETIREESPages 2-3

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES NEW EARLY CHILDHOOD INNOVATION CENTERPage 4

FACULTYACCOMPLISHMENTSPage 5

RESEARCH-RELATED NEWSPages 6-7

Tina L. Mitchell Visiting Assistant Professor Education CHESSRoderick Moten Adjunct Associate Professor Physics and Engineering CASTCynthia E. Newton Director of Programs & Partnerships Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSTerrance D. Newton Adjunct Assistant Professor Education CHESSGrace W. Ngamau Adjunct Lecturer Nursing Education CHBSPrakash M. Niraula Post Doctoral Associate Biology CASTDenise R. Nixon Adjunct Assistant Professor Education CHESSMee A. Oh-Ranck Adjunct Associate Professor Human Ecology CASTKaren Panunto Acting Dir. for Outreach & Student Svcs. Nursing Education CHBSPragna P. Patel Diagnostic Lab Supervisor Agriculture CASTShirin M. Pathan Programmer/Data Analyst Institutional Research Office of Inst ResearchErin M. Perchiniak Visiting Assistant Professor Biology CASTPerry Phelps Adjunct Assistant Professor Sociology CHESSRaymond Phillips Visiting Assistant Professor Kinesiology CHBSAntonia T. Pilot Administrative Assistant Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSBrandy J. Poole-Lee Assistant Teacher Early Childhood Development CHESSBrittney L. Pride Visiting Assistant Professor - MOT Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSGwen R. Pursell Visiting Assistant Professor Psychology CHBSValerie J. Quillen Adjunct Professor Agriculture CASTMarjorie K. Ramsey Reference and Public Service Librarian Library Academic AffairsKinya Robinson Admin. Assistant/Budget Analyst College of Business COBApril A. Roeper Research Assistant Psychology CHBSAnne D. Romeus P/T EFNEP Nutrition Assistant Agriculture CASTPhillip Roundtree Adjunct Assistant Professor Social Work CHBSJuliana Senyk Coordinator Student Accommodations Student Success Academic AffairsSidney C. Sessoms Director of College Bands Band CHESSStacy D. Shamburger Adjunct Assistant Professor Graduate/Social Work CHBSCandace L. Shetzler Visiting Lecturer Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSKevin E. Shuman Visiting Assistant Professor Biology CASTEdward R. Small Adjunct Instructor Education CHESSNeysa R. Smith University Supervisor Education CHESSHannah B. Sorenson Adjunct Assistant Professor English CHESSStephanie Stotts Visiting Assistant Professor Agriculture CASTAmy L. Strickland Visiting Lecturer Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSLeslie J. Sysko Project Manager Institutional Research Academic AffairsNii A. Tawiah Adjunct Assistant Professor Sociology CHESSShari Tenner Nurse Manager Nursing Education CHBSDawnn L. Thomas Visiting Assistant Professor / Director MOT Nursing Education CHBSJack A. Turner Adjunct English CHESSDonalee Unal Adjunct Lecturer II Social Work CHBSAron T. Vadakin Visiting Associate Professor History, Poli. Sci. & Philosophy CHESSAmaranatha R. Vennapusa Post Doctoral Fellow Agriculture CASTCheryl D. Watson Adjunct Lecturer II Nursing Education CHBSDerald E. Wentzien Visiting Professor College of Business COBCassandra Wilson Clinical Practitioner II Nursing Education CHBSJovan A. Wilson Adjunct Instructor Music Department CHESS

2 | FALL 2021

8 Academic Affairs employees among 2020-21retirees

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 7 ISSUE 7 | ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER FALL 2021 | 3

Barbara E. Abbott Visiting Lecturer Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSMohcine Afaf Adjunct Instructor Aviation COBDanielle L. Archambault Academic Adviser, Transfer Students Student Success Academic AffairsBhushan Aryal Assistant Professor English Language Institute CHESSMaureen N. Barry Visiting Lecturer Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSJeffrey T. Benson Program Director, Black Male Initiative College of Business COBAlonna D. Berry Adjunct Professor English CHESSMatthew J. Billie Program Coordinator VP for Research, Dev. & Innovation Academic AffairsJustin J. Blank Integ. Acad. Sprt. Srvc. Coordinator Student Success Academic AffairsKelley R. Bowens Adjunct Lecturer II Nursing Education CHBSKimberly D. Brown Administrative Assistant College of Business COBKristen W. Brown Assistant Field Work Coordinator Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSKraiwinee Bunyaratavej Visiting Associate Professor Dept. of Business Administration COBCharles W. Cange Associate Professor Sociology CHESSJulius A. Carter Shop Assistant Machine Shop - CAST CASTRobert Contino Visiting Associate Professor Nursing Education CHBSTaneka Cook Graduate Admissions Coordinator Graduate Studies SGAESCecile K. Cunningham Pre-Post Award Specialist Agriculture CASTKessiah D. Cunningham Online Student Success Coach School of Graduate Studies SGAESJeffrey L. Daisher Adjunct Instructor Aviation COBRosemary I. Ebirim PT Research Technician Agriculture CASTEvelyn A. Edney Adjunct Professor English CHESSShelby J. Everline Graduate Admissions Coordinator School of Graduate Studies SGAESTroy C. Farmer P/T Director for the Garage College of Business COBWilliam D. Farmer P/T Aircraft Mechanic Aviation COBMone’t S. Floyd Adjunct Lecturer II Social Work CHBSSarah J. Gober Adjunct Assistant Professor Music Department CHESSKatherine A. Goff Library Service Coordinator Student Success Academic AffairsBarbara C. Gorrow Adjunct Associate Professor English CHESSTahar B. Hajri P/T Research Associate Human Ecology CASTCinarda Hamilton Adjunct Lecturer Nursing Education CHBSAlenia N. Hamilton-Lyons Adjunct Lecturer I Nursing Education CHBSMary Ellen M. Harmon Administrative Assistant Nursing Education CHBSDoyne L. Harris P/T Testing Specialist Office of Testing SGAESKenya D. Harris Adjunct Lecturer II Nursing Education CHBSRobin J. Harris Assistant Teacher Early Childhood Development CHESSRyan P. Hubble Visiting Assistant Professor Public & Allied Health Sciences CHBSTatsuya Ii Research Assistant VP for Research, Dev. & Innovation Academic AffairsAudrey Janga Diagnostic Testing Lab Assistant Agriculture CASTGulnaz Javan Adjunct Associate Professor Biology CASTMary E. Jenson Visiting Assistant Professor Psychology CHBSAmy E. Kellen Academic Advisor Student Success Office of Student SuccessKrystal R. Kershaw Adjunct Assistant Professor Social Work CHBSVilma Laz-Butera Visiting Lecturer Languages and Literatures CHESSBrian E. Levels Adjunct Associate Professor Music Department CHESSHong Li Adjunct Professor Agriculture CASTKirstin L. Lundblad Administrative Secretary Sociology CHESSApril M. Mahoney Administrative Secretary Education CHESSElizabeth W. Marchioni Visiting Associate Professor Sociology CHESSLauren K. Markell Adjunct Instructor Agriculture CASTAkela R. Marsh Administrative Assistant College of Business COBRobert B. Marsteller Visiting Assistant Professor Education CHESSMark A. Mattesi Visiting Assistant Professor Psychology CHBSJennifer G. Maybin Adjunct Associate Professor English CHESSKaren L. McCabe Adjunct Associate Professor Social Work CHBSStephanie McClellan Adjunct Assistant Professor Biology CASTChristine M. McDermott Accreditation/Assessment Specialist Institutional Research Office of Instit. ResearchLaLinda McMillan Street Adjunct Assistant Professor Sociology CHESSAlbee T. Mendoza Visiting Assistant Professor Psychology CHBSAlethea A. Miller Adjunct Lecturer I Nursing Education CHBS

Dr. Cherese Winstead-Casson began serving as the Interim Dean

of the College of Agriculture, Science and Technology

on July 1, 2021.

Dr. Gwendolyn Scott-Jones began serving as the Interim Dean

of the Wesley College of Healthand Behavioral Sciences

on July 1, 2021.

WELCOME!2020-2021 NEW EMPLOYEESTWO NEW

INTERIM DEANS Priscilla Caldwell Technical Secretary, CHBS 7/1/2021 Michael Katz Business Law Professor, COB 5/25/2021 Susan Kelly Senior Secretary, CHESS 2/1/2021 Ben Shamburger Lecturer II, CHBS 12/14/2020 Georgeann Smith Project Office Manager, COB 6/30/2021 Stephen Taylor Professor, CHESS 5/25/2021 Diane Weller Administrative Assistant, Academic Affairs 6/30/2021 Eleanor Wilson Administrative Assistant, Academic Affairs 6/30/2021

DR. MARSH CELEBRATED AT RETIREMENT LUNCH

The College of Agriculture, Science and Technology (CAST) this summer bid a fond farewell at a retirement luncheon to Dr. Dyremple Marsh after 15 years as its Land-Grant Program and College Dean, Research Director, and Extension Administrator.

Click here to view imagesfrom the luncheon

Dr. Dyremple Marsh and Troy Darden

2 ALUMNI LEAD MARCHING BANDDelaware State University this summer appointed two alumni to lead its renowned Approaching Storm Band and other instrumental groups — Sidney Sessoms Jr. as its new Director of Bands and Vincent Adkins as the Assistant Director of Bands.

Sidney Sessoms Jr. Vincent Adkins

In a newly announced partnership with the First State, Delaware State University will receive $30.6 million over the next five years to establish an Early Childhood Innovation Center (ECIE) as part of Gov. John Carney’s initiative to use $120 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support Delaware’s child care industry and child care professionals.

In partnership with the state Department of Education and Department of Health and Social Services, the University will use the $30.6 million — one-third of which will come from the ARPA and the rest from other state funds — to support

the construction and launch of the Early Childhood Innovation Center, invest in Delaware’s child care workforce, and expand access to affordable child care for Delaware families in need.

Under the terms of the partnership, the University will develop statewide infrastructure for a unique pathway for Delawareans seeking careers in the child care industry. The funding will also expand scholarship opportunities to support working professionals who are seeking additional education.

Read the full story

4 | FALL 2021 ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 7

Governor announces Early Childhood Innovation Center at University

Education Department Chair Dr. Shelley Rouser, who will lead the ECIC work, introduces Gov. John Carney during the media event.

ISSUE 7 | ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER FALL 2021 | 5

The Office of Student Success and the William C. Jason Library sponsored a “Welcome Back Students” activity Thursday, September 16, to introduce student resources to freshmen, sophomores, Wesley legacy students and transfer students who were unable to visit during the COVID-19 pandemic from Fall 2020 through Spring 2021. Additionally, the activity served to reintroduce student resources to our juniors, seniors, faculty and staff.

Students received educational and informational material about services offered by the William C. Jason Library, the Office of Student Success, Integrated Academic Support Services, the Office of Undergraduate Research, Experiential Learning and Honors, and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Students were welcomed by staff members at the main entrance and directed inside to learn about services and meet the advisors, directors, and staff members, and for lunch.

The event allowed over 125 students, faculty and staff to be introduced/reintroduced to multiple access points of OSS services and library resources. Library faculty and staff created a QR code for new library users to scan and register using mobile devices, and they received and processed over 50 new registrations during the event, providing an additional opportunity to evaluate services via survey.

Music and entertainment were provided by DJ Breaz, and students had the chance to earn door prizes. Food and drinks were provided by the HBCU-UP program and Chesapeake Utilities, Inc.

STUDENT SUCCESS, LIBRARY WELCOME BACK STUDENTS

Dr. Fees, Kiesel, Rana, Scott receive 2020-21 Faculty Excellence Awards

Faculty Excellence Award for TeachingDr. Joseph Fees, Assistant Professor of Spanish Dr. Fees has played an instrumental role in refining the Department of Languages and Literatures’ language programs and curriculum. He has designed online Spanish courses and created a community page with numerous resources for Spanish instructors. In addition to improving the content and assessments of many upper-division

Spanish classes, he also established a new Medical Spanish course. Dr. Fees has been actively involved in department and University service, including leading the department’s Strategic Plan Committee. He was the lead course designer and moderator for the HHMI Online Course Conversion Class and undertook the role of ODELT Online Coordinator for CHESS.

Faculty Excellence Award for ServiceDr. Eleanor M. Kiesel, Associate Professor of Social WorkDr. Kiesel came to the University in 2015 after practicing law with the Community Legal Aid Society for 17 years. With her ever-active goals of service, she provides legal representation for those in poverty and serves as a volunteer attorney for children in foster care. In higher education, she has been involved with Middle States and served on the

University Strategic Planning Committee. In the Department of Social Work, she is developing a Domestic Violence Specialist certificate program, as well as a minor and associate degree program in Social Work. In the last year, she has been engaged in anti-racism work, including her involvement in the development of an African Centered Healing Program and participation in an African American Task Force and the Lewes Heritage African American Commission.

Faculty Excellence Award for AdvisingDr. Mukti Rana, Professor of Physics and EngineeringWith an open-door policy and a guiding motto of “students come first,” Dr. Rana has mentored and advised 124 middle school, 56 high school, 200-plus undergraduate and 33 graduate students since the fall of 2015. He has also mentored and advised seven junior faculty members and three post-doctoral

research associates. Three of the students he advised became co-investigators of three patents. He is the founding faculty advisor of the University’s student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. His work with students led NASA to present Dr. Rana with the 2019 Faculty Mentor of the Year Award.

Faculty Excellence Award for Research and Creative ActivityDr. Derrick Scott, Associate Professor of Biological SciencesDr. Scott has published six papers in peer-reviewed journals, given 18 presentations and applied for 13 grants. Of those grants, nine were funded — just over $7 million as a principal investigator, just over $1 million as a co-investigator, as well as a $6 million collaborative

grant, in which he managed the $443,264 sub-award to Del State. The awards totaled just over $14 million. Dr. Scott leverages his strength in research by his instrumental role in the creation of the Bioinformatics Program and the Biopharmaceutical and Manufacturing Technology concentration in partnership with industry giant Merck.

COB DEAN SHARES INITIATIVES IN ARTICLEThe Harvard Business Publishing Education featured Dr. Michael Casson, Dean of the College of Business, in an article entitled “What Career-Focused Curriculum Looks Like.” In the article’s section on “Bringing Career Service into the 21st Century,” Dr. Casson shares some of the initiatives taking place within the College of Business to propel its students forward. Read the article

DR. WHITTLE FACILITATES INSIDE-OUT INITIATIVEThe Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice is collaborating with personnel at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center to pilot a Fall 2021 Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program course. Facilitated by Dr. Tanya Whittle, 18 college students — incarcerated and non-incarcerated — transcend the prison walls and learn together via Blackboard Collaborate. The goal is to expand higher education opportunities to incarcerated

Delawareans and experiential-learning opportunities to University students, and the pilot course is Introduction to Criminal Justice.

DR. IRIOWEN ELECTED TO LEAD DOVER LIONS CLUBDr. Esosa Iriowen, an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, was elected to be the president of the Dover Lions Club. On campus, Dr. Iriowen serves as the faculty advisor for the DSU Campus Lions Club, the University’s Rotaract Club and the Interact Club at the Early College High School.

DR. WILSON ELECTED TO SMYRNA SCHOOL BOARD SEATDr. Charlie Wilson, Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, won a May election to become a member of the Smyrna Board of Education for a five-year term.

DR. PATTERSON CONTRIBUTES OP-EDS, INTERVIEWDr. Donna Patterson, Chair of the Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy and Director of Africana Studies, has contributed the following op-ed pieces this year: Precariousness of Transition in Chad | Senegal: Vaccine Access and COVID-19 | CDC Declares Racism a Public Health

Threat. Researchers Weigh In on Why. She also contributed comments to the International Edition of Voice of America on FDA approval and has been included among the Wilson Center’s 2021-2022 Class of Fellows.

The Dean’s Council hosted a College Mixer at Killens Pond, which served as a relaxed atmosphere for University faculty and staff to reunite as well as get acquainted with the newest additions to the Del State family — the faculty and higher education professionals from Wesley College.

Click here to view photos

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

DEAN’S COUNCIL HOSTSCOLLEGE MIXER

$1.9M grant applies behavioral health resources to Sussex County

Delaware State University has been awarded a four-year, $1.9 million grant that aims toward providing needed behavioral health training and benefits to Sussex County. The grant — awarded by the federal Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) — enables the University’s Department of Social Work to establish a Delaware Integrated Behavioral Health Workforce Training Program (DIBH), which will train students in the Master of Social Work Program for work

in high-demand areas with high-need populations. Dr. Amy Habeger, Associate Professor of Social Work, is Principal Investigator of the grant.

$1M grant funds Certificate Program in Bio-imaging and Bio-Photonics

A $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will increase interdisciplinary research activity at the University by bringing together researchers and PhD students from the Neuroscience and Optics programs. The three-year, NSF Research Excellence in Science and Technology grant will enable the University to build on its existing facilities and imaging technology as well as the expertise of faculty researchers in biology and physics to offer a series of hands-on, project-based courses in bio-imaging, bio-photonics and image analysis. Dr. Harbinder

Singh Dhillon, Professor of Biological Sciences, is the Principal Investigator of the grant; Dr. Hacene Boukari, Professor of Physics and Engineering, is the co-PI.

Dr. Boukari becomes co-PI of $2.47M grant as part of research consortium with 2 other HBCUs

Delaware State University recently joined a consortium with two other HBCUs in a research enterprise supported by a three-year, $2.47 million grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).The Consortium for Laser-based Analysis of Nuclear and Environmental Materials (LANEM) brings together researchers and students from Del State, Alabama State University and Florida A&M University, as well as two national laboratories. The primary goal of the LANEM Consortium is to train STEM students in

the science and technology of detection and identification of materials that are of interest to the NNSA and the Department of Energy. Dr. Hacene Boukari, Professor of Physics and Engineering, is a co-Principal Investigator of the NNSA grant. According to Dr. Boukari, Delaware State University will receive about $1 million from the grant over the three-year period.

SOCIOLOGY RESEARCHERS PARTNER WITH DNRECThe state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has engaged a trio of Delaware State University sociology professors and their research skills to help the agency improve its public engagement effectiveness. DNREC awarded the University a $249,773 grant earlier this year to conduct the research, which will focus on traditionally underrepresented communities. Dr. Raymond Tutu, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, is the Principal Investigator of the grant. Dr. Anwar Ouassini and Dr. Laurin Parker, both Associate Professors of Sociology, are the co-PIs.

NSF AWARDS UNIVERSITY 3 NEW GRANTSThe National Science Foundation announced that it is awarding more than $1.8 million in grant funding in support of three new projects at the University. The grants included:A $799,058 grant for a Partnership for Research and Education in Soft Matter Research and Technology and Quantum Confinement Materials Design Partnership for Research and Education (SMaRT QD PREM). The SMaRT QD PREM is a collaboration between two historically black institutions — Delaware State University and Claflin University — as well as a strategic partnership with the University of Delaware’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and a network of partners committed to strengthening novel materials research and education. Dr. Cherese Winstead is the project’s Principal Investigator.A three-year, $622,000 Excellence in Research grant in support of a University research project entitled “Scaling Social Capital and Health Across Space.” It is the largest grant ever awarded to Del State in support of research by social scientists. Dr. Raymond A. Tutu, Chair of the Department of Sociology, is the Principal Investigator, and Dr. Anwar Ouassini, Associate Professor of Sociology, is the co-PI. This project will investigate the effects of collective action and collective efficacy on health literacy through surveys, statistical analysis and interviews. It will encompass local and remote groups, including those native to their area and those who have relocated into the region.

A $399,994 grant in support of an initiative to establish new Undergraduate Neuroscience Education to Engage Diverse Students in STEM and Prepare Them for Graduate School and STEM Careers. Dr Julian Wooltorton, a Senior Core Scientist in the University’s Delaware Institute for Science and Technology, is the Principal Investigator. Co-PIs are Dr. Christine Charvet, Dr. Hakeem Lawal, Dr. Sabrina McGary and Dr. Murali Temburni. The project seeks to strengthen the University’s ability to recruit, retain and graduate

underrepresented students in STEM by adding a Neuroscience minor to the existing degree programs and two new undergraduate neuroscience courses.

RESEARCH-RELATED NEWS

From left: Dr. Raymond Tutu, Dr. Laurin Parker and Dr. Anwar Ouassini

Dr. Amy Habeger

Dr. Harbinder SinghDhillon

Dr. Hacene Boukari

Dr. Julian Wooltorton

6 | FALL 2021 ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 7 ISSUE 7 | ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER FALL 2021 | 7

$672,000 GRANT WILL SUPPORT MANTLEMINERAL RESEARCH

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Dr. Gabriel Gwanmesia a three-year, $672,000 HBCU Excellence in Research grant in support of mantle mineral research. Dr. Gwanmesia, a Professor of Physics and Engineering, will use the grant to support his research project titled “Effect of Hydration on the Thermo-elastic Properties of Mantle Minerals and the Geophysical Implications.” The grant is funded jointly by two NSF initiatives — the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) and Earth Sciences (EAR) programs.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GRANT SUPPORTSNEW PHOTOCHEMICAL-PHOTOPHYSICAL LAB

Dr. Aristides Marcano, Professor of Physics, has been awarded a $394,607 Department of Defense research grant that will support the establishment of a state-of-the-art Photochemical and Photophysics Laboratory at Delaware State University. Dr. Marcano is the grant’s primary investigator and recipient. The lab’s primary purpose is to conduct research and train new generations of scientists in the detection and generation of singlet oxygen — an electronically excited level of the molecule of oxygen.

DEL STATE AND UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PARTNER FOR SUMMER PROGRAM

Undergraduate science students will have a new summer neuroscience research program possibility as the result of a partnership between the University and the University of California Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Dr. Jarid Goodman, Assistant Professor of Psychology, will serve as the Delaware State faculty partner for the program and will be a part of the committee reviewing student applications and making selections. He will

also travel to UC Irvine in the summer of 2022 to help conduct the Summer Institute in Neuroscience. Sponsored by the UC-HBCI Initiative Summer Research and Graduate Admissions Pathways Grant, the program will fund the participation of 30 undergraduate HBCU students interested in neuroscience.

DR. RASAMNY, DR. KHAN OVERSEE AIR QUALITY MAPPING RESEARCH SUMMER PROGRAMDr. Marwan Rasamny, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Chair of the PEMaCS Division, and Dr. Amir Khan, Program Director of the Physics and Engineering Program, this summer oversaw research work for a group of engineering and computer science undergraduate and master’s degree students. Seven students engaged in an Air Quality Mapping summer project that involved developing high-precision optical sensors to analyze the air from agriculture and industrial sources. Others worked to create a web-based application called “SENSOR APP,” a tool that when fully developed will provide information on air quality across the state of Delaware. The students and their academic disciplines are: Abdullah Al-Rubaye (B.S. Computer Science), Yue An (M.S. Applied Optics), Berl-Eddie Brilliant (B.S. Engineering Physics), Andrew Horne (B.S. Engineering Physics), Zayna Juracka (B.S. Engineering Physics and INBRE Scholar), Sabrina Kruger (B.S. Computer Science), and Yuvene Louis (B.S. Engineering Physics).The summer program is funded by a $199,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Gabriel Gwanmesia

Dr. Aristides Marcano

Dr. Jarid Goodman

TOP: Dr. Amir Khan shares knowledge with Andrew Horne, an engineering undergraduate.

BOTTOM: Dr. Marwan Rasamny provides guidance to Sabrina Kruger and Abdullah Al-Rubaye in the Maker Space.

Dr. Tripathi honored with $100,000 Quantum Award Dr. Renu Tripathi, Professor of Physics and Engineering, has been named the inaugural recipient of the IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics. The announcement was made in August during the opening plenary event at SPIE Optics + Photonics. The $100,000 annual award, presented jointly by the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, supports and promotes research and education in quantum optics and photonics within IBM-HBCU Quantum Center member institutions, currently 23 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Delaware State University. The IBM-SPIE agreement stipulates a joint annual award yearly through 2025, with each organization providing $50,000 per year for a shared total of $500,000 over five years.

The College of Business’ Global Entrepreneurship Education Initiative has launched a new initiative to train entrepreneurs in the Central African country of Uganda. Supported by a $44,308 grant from the U.S. State Department, the initiative is a part of the mission of the Global Entrepreneurship Education Initiative to provide entrepreneurship education in emerging and developing countries to contribute to the emergence of local entrepreneurs. Through the Garage (the COB’s innovation and maker space) and the Delaware Center for Enterprise Development (DCED), the COB will offer a curriculum tailored to current and prospective entrepreneurs in Uganda in partnership with Feminature Uganda, a women-led and youth empowerment organization in Arua, Uganda. The University team will also work closely with

the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda. The COB Global Entrepreneurship Education Initiative was created by Dr. Constant D. Beugre, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, and includes Ms. Lillie Crawford, Director of the DCED, and Ms. Troy Farmer, Director ofthe Garage.

Delaware State University announced the launch of a new Financial Literacy Institute (FLi) with support from Schwab Advisor Services in partnership with the Charles Schwab Foundation. The company has pledged a four-year grant to facilitate the creation of the new program, as well as the expansion of the Financial Planning curriculum and the renovation of the Financial Network Trading Room operated by the College of Business.

The partnership will support the College of Business in expanding its Financial Management programming for Business majors. The tools and resources provided by the new Financial Literacy Institute will allow students to learn more about wealth management, build relationships with industry leaders, explore careers in the

Registered Investment Advisor profession, and help foster community outreach. The University is currently in the process of converting its minor in Financial Planning into a full-fledged Financial Planning and Wealth

Management degree concentration, “but we’ve not been able to offer the program at full potential yet,” said Dr. Nandita Das, Professor of Finance, who will play a key leadership role in FLi’s organization and development. “The infusion of Schwab’s expertise and support allows us to complete that project to the benefit of our students.”

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TRAINS ENTREPRENEURS IN UGANDA

Office of theProvost & Academic AffairsProvost & ChiefAcademic Officer: Dr. Saundra F. DeLauder

Associate Provost forAcademic & Student Services:Dr. Clytrice Watson

Special Assistant to the Provost:Mrs. Marquita Thomas Brown

Assistant Director of Academic Fiscal Affairs:Mrs. C. Lynn McGinnis

Office Manager:Ms. Sarah Greene

Phone: 302.857.6100Email: acadaffairs@desu.edu

Your comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged atacadaffairs@desu.edu.

University, Charles Schwab create Financial Literacy Institute

Dr. Nandita Das

From left: Lillie Crawford; Dwight Deloatch, graduate assistant; Dr. Constant Beugre; and Troy Farmer.

An elite fraternity’s financial support of the University’s Aviation Program has led to the naming of one of its training planes after two of the organization’s esteemed members. Beta Eta, a boulé (chapter) of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, has made a $10,000 donation to the University Foundation to be earmarked for use by the Aviation Program. In appreciation for the donation, Aviation has named one of its Vulcanair single-engine planes – from the

new fleet of 11 aircraft acquired through state funding in 2019 – after two Beta Eta members, the late Dr. Conelius Elbert Gaither and later retired Lt. Col. Collace Greene, also deceased. Dr. Conelius Gaither was a Tuskegee Airman who later became a Wilmington dentist. Mr. Collace Green was a Tuskegee Airman and U.S. Air Force aviator who later became the first African American to fly for a Fortune 500 company when he began flying for General Electric.

BETA ETA DONATES $10K IN SUPPORT OF AVIATION PROGRAM

Share your accomplishments!

Send information on your recent presentations, awards,

grants, acknowledgments and other accomplishments to

acadaffairs@desu.eduby March 31 for inclusion

in the spring issue.

We wish you a successful end to the

semester and a joyousholiday season!